Zac Jones Scores as Amerks Blank Syracuse Crunch 3-0

Defenseman Zac Jones broke a goal drought stretching nearly a year to spark the Rochester Americans to a 3-0 shutout of the Syracuse Crunch on Wednesday, Jan. 14, at The Blue Cross Arena.

Jones, who had not scored in the AHL since Feb. 22, 2025, opened the scoring at 26:49 of the second period, then added a second goal at 4:18 of the third to push Rochester's lead to 2-0. The two-goal performance capped his fifth multi-point outing of the campaign, a 1+1 night that earned him first-star honors. Riley Fiddler-Schultz sealed it at 57:22 of the third, and when the final buzzer sounded Rochester had its shutout.

Isak Rosén, Noah Laaouan, and Carson Meyer each contributed offensively in the Amerks' team report, with Laaouan recording his first-career AHL tally and Meyer's goal described as his fourth of the year. Konsta Helenius, Ryan Johnson, and Fiddler-Schultz each notched an assist, while Jagger Joshua and Vsevolod Komarov both put together two-point nights. Joshua logged his third multi-point effort in his last six outings; Komarov turned in his second of the current stretch.

In goal, Devon Levi stopped 26 of 29 shots to earn the decision, picking up his first win against Syracuse after going winless in four previous appearances against the Crunch dating to Jan. 31, 2025. R. Fanti made 24 saves in a losing effort for Syracuse. Neither team converted on the power play, with both clubs finishing 0-for-3 with the man advantage and each killing all three penalties they faced.

The win extended a durable stretch of dominance in the rivalry. Rochester has earned at least one point in 13 of its last 16 games against Syracuse dating to March 22, 2024.

Noah Laaouan earned third-star recognition alongside Jones, with Syracuse's J. Pelletier taking second-star honors despite his team's shutout loss.